To Catch a Thief
by HannahSakura2010
Summary: Kiku Honda is a police officer trying to capture a Chinese pickpocket named Yao Wang.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm not dead! I promise! At least, I don't think I am…**

* * *

"Let go of me! You can't just arrest me aru!"

Kiku glanced over at his right dispassionately. "Oh, can't I?" he asked flatly. "I seem to be doing a good job so far."

The man's ID had identified him as Wang Yao. A Chinese. Rare in Japan, but it made him easier to pick out of a crowd.

Yao seemed to read his mind. "You're just arresting me because I'm Chinese, aren't you aru?" he snarled. "I knew I shouldn't have come here aru! You Japanese people are so prejudiced-"

"It would be the same prejudices for me if I were to go to China, Yao-san," Kiku cut him off. He finally managed to get reach his car, despite the vicious struggles from Yao. Even with his hands cuffed behind him, Yao put up a fight.

Kiku suddenly heard a sniff and glanced over at his prisoner. Yao had tears in his eyes.

"Why are you arresting me? What have I done aru?" Yao whispered, looking distraughtly at the police car. He wasn't fighting anymore. Yao sniffed again and a tear rolled down his pale cheek. "Is it really because I am Chinese aru?" Golden eyes swimming with tears turned on Kiku beseechingly.

Kiku observed the spectacle dispassionately. "No, I am not arresting you because you are Chinese," he explained. He reached into the back pocket of Yao's pants. Yao gasped and wiggled around. "Forgive me for that," Kiku muttered, pulling out a wallet. "I am arresting you for _this_." He waved the wallet in front of Yao's eyes. The fake crying had stopped. Yao stared into Kiku's brown eyes, not even looking at the wallet. Not denying anything.

Kiku shoved Yao into the back seat of the car and placed his foot on the seat, blocking Yao's exit. He opened the wallet. "Yamamoto Hirohito," he read the name on the ID. He raised an eyebrow at Yao, who was now wearing an innocent little smile. "He reported this stolen last night. He told me that the person who did it was Chinese, because of the way they talked."

Yao sniffed. "But, I'm sure I'm not the only Chinese person around here," he said slowly. "What made you go after me? The bastard was drunk!"

Kiku allowed himself a short chuckle. "He described a Chinese woman with long, dark hair and unusual eyes," he said, catching a few strands of Yao's long black hair. It felt like silk between his fingers.

Yao sighed with what sounded like regret. "That's usually the description they give aru," the pickpocket said softly, shaking his head. He grinned widely at Kiku. "I usually get away with it, too, because people usually look for a woman, not a man aru. Looks like I couldn't fool you, though." He leaned forward slightly. "You are smarter than the rest."

Kiku pocketed the stolen wallet and removed his foot without responding to the compliment. Just as he was about to slam the door closed, Yao called, "I never did get your name aru. You know mine aru, but I do not know yours."

Kiku looked back at him. Yao's head was cocked to the side with a curious look on his face. "My name is Honda Kiku," he told him.

"Nice to meet you, Kiku," Yao said sweetly, rudely dropping the honorific. "I look forward to getting to know you more in the future." Before Kiku could react, Yao shot out of the car. The shackles lay broken in the backseat, a nail sticking out of the locking mechanism. Kiku reached out to grab Yao, and felt his arm being swiftly twisted up. He let out a yelp of pain. Yao was fast and strong. Yao tried to dash away, but Kiku recovered quickly and pulled out a taser.

The shockers hit Yao as he ran, stopping him in his tracks and dropping him to the ground in a few short seconds. Kiku walked leisurely over to him, rolling his twisted arm in its socket. "Clever bastard," he said, picking Yao up bridal style. Yao moaned as Kiku shifted him in his grip. "You're not clever enough." Kiku walked back and tossed the Chinese into the back again, locking another pair of handcuffs around his wrists. He felt around in the man's pockets to make sure he did not have any more surprises.

Yao stirred and groaned. "We'll see who is clever," he said through gritted teeth.

Kiku yanked him into a sitting position. "I'm sure we will," he replied. "Be a good boy and don't resist anymore. You're already in trouble."

Yao rolled his eyes. "No promises!" he said brightly, though his eyes flashed with a mixture of appreciation and irritation.

Kiku sighed and slammed the door on those golden eyes. _I'm getting too old for this…_

* * *

**So, yeah. This was written at 3:00 in the morning, so sorry if it sucks. I got random muse for it from a picture I saw on tumblr. *Too lazy to hunt down and post the link* So, random NiChu fic. I hope you enjoy it, though I usually do not write NiChu. But, maybe I can continue this fic? No promises.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm kind of surprised, but you guys seemed to really like this product of 3 am tumblr escapades, so I'll write more. Here ya go, and thank you to those who reviewed!**

* * *

The next day, Kiku walked into the jailhouse reception area and got a huge surprise.

"You're out?" he asked incredulously.

Yao glanced over his shoulder and grinned. "Yes!" he crowed, golden eyes sparkling. "I'm out. Got bail aru."

"How?" Kiku asked, trying to keep his face even and blank.

"My little brother," Yao cooed. "He got me out this morning aru. Paid bail and everything aru."

Kiku raised an eyebrow. "You have a younger brother?"

"_Shii shii_," was the affirmative in Chinese. Yao laughed. "Don't worry aru. He is an upstanding member of society aru. You don't have to worry about him aru."

"Yes, you are the one everyone needs to worry about," a monotone voice spoke up. A teenager stuck his head into the reception area. "Let's go, Ni-ni."

Kiku stared at the teenager. He couldn't be more than 15 or 16. He was a head taller than Yao with shaggy brown hair and disinterested brown eyes. Kiku turned to Yao. "You are a horrible influence," he said flatly.

Yao giggled. "I know," he said.

"And unrepentant, apparently," the teenager commented, tugging on the end of Yao's ponytail insistently. "Let's go, Yao."

Yao nodded at him and spoke to him in rapid Chinese. Kiku didn't understand the language, but a flash of irritation crossed the boy's uninterested expression. Yao turned back to Kiku. "I guess I'll be seeing you around aru, Officer Honda?" he asked with a sly smile playing on his lips.

Kiku raised an eyebrow. "I should hope not. Do you want to end up handcuffed again?"

Yao stepped closer until he was right in front of Kiku. They were around the same height. Kiku was a bit taller.

"What? You don't want to see me again aru?" Yao asked, a too-innocent note in his voice. His dark golden eyes sparkled under long dark eyelashes. "I've rather enjoyed our interaction aru. You're fun and smart aru; unlike so many others." Kiku could have sworn that Yao batted his eyelashes at him, but it was probably a trick of the light.

Kiku just raised an eyebrow. "I do not enjoy spending time with criminals," he said sharply. He felt it was a little harsh; Yao was just a lowly pickpocket.

Yao just rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, sashaying back to where his younger brother waited, deliberately swinging his hips on the way. Kiku kept his eyes firmly on the back of the pickpocket's head, refusing to let them stray downward.

"Well, _I_ for one hope to interact with you more aru," he called over his shoulder. He flashed his white grin at Kiku one more time before taking his brother's arm and calling "_Sayonara_!"

Kiku shook his head as the duo left the police station. He heard a chuckle and glanced behind him. A Korean officer, a young man named Yong Soo, was watching from the doorway leading into the office area.

"What do you want?" Kiku asked, trying to keep from snapping.

"Can't you even tell when someone is flirting with you?" the Korean asked, leaning casually against the doorframe.

Kiku fought the urge to scowl at the obnoxious smirk; he and Yong Soo had never gotten along.

"I was aware of it. That does not mean I was interested," he said shortly, trying not to let his irritation show.

The taller Korean rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless," he shot back.

Kiku finally did let a small scowl make its way onto his face. "And how do you figure that?"

"Well, it's not as if you're getting laid anyway."

Kiku fought to keep his face even. "Don't be vulgar, and it's none of your business, Im," he said coldly before slamming the door of his office in Yong Soo's face.

"Damn Korean," he muttered before walking to his desk and a pile of paperwork. He had reports to turn that he had to work on before going on patrol later.

So what if he hadn't been in a relationship in a while? That did not mean he had to throw himself at the first person who seemed interested. Especially if he had arrested that person the night before. Yao was probably just trying to distract him from doing his job correctly. He wasn't really interested in Kiku. Besides, Im Yong Soo should mind his own business. He had no business knowing what Kiku did with his free time.

Kiku forced himself to focus on his paperwork and realized that he was staring at Yao's arrest report. He sighed.

* * *

As it turned out, the captain hadn't put him on patrol duty that afternoon. Kiku was allowed to go home early as a result. He decided that he might as well go get a drink.

Takeshi's was crowded for this time a day. People were just coming in from work. Regulars started chatting with each other and waving to the bartender. Kiku made his way through the crowd to the bar and sat down. He would just get one or two drinks to relax. A cloud of cigarette smoke hung over the bar, making the air murky with its acrid scent. Kiku signaled the bartender and received his drink. He was just about to take a sip when a fresh cloud of smoke was blown right into his face.

"Fancy seeing you here aru."

Kiku barely kept himself from groaning as he turned to his right. Yao leaned against the bar beside him, smoking a cigarette.

Kiku took him in for a moment. The Chinese man had changed clothes since being freed. His green shirt fit his body well, revealing his nice figure.

"Are you following me?" Kiku asked bluntly, taking a sip of his drink.

Yao shook his head. "Why would I do that aru?" he asked.

Kiku shrugged but did not answer verbally, opting to take another drink. He'd just finish this one and leave; he really did not want to get into another confrontation with Wang Yao, especially after his conversation with Yong Soo that morning.

Yao ground out his still smoldering cigarette into a nearby ashtray. "Are you done with work for the day?" he asked, sounding curious. "You're still in your uniform aru."

Kiku shrugged again. "I got to go home early," he said, a little warily. He was not sure that he should tell the Chinese his schedule, but since it fluctuated, he supposed it couldn't hurt today. "What are you doing here?"

Yao rolled his eyes. "I work here."

Kiku just stared. "You _what?_"

"I work here," Yao repeated, smirking. "You sound surprised."

"I am. You actually have a job? Does your boss know about your arrest?"

Yao rolled his eyes. "Of course he does. If you want, go tell him again."

"And he still lets you work here even though you are a thief?" Kiku asked in utter disbelief.

Yao giggled, his voice like a bell. "He's worse than I am."

Kiku stared at him for a moment before finishing the rest of his drink. He did not want to deal with this now. He got to his feet. "Don't get into any more trouble," he said lamely before walking towards the door.

He heard a light footstep behind him. "Am I making you uncomfortable aru?"

Kiku turned to Yao and raised an eyebrow. "I don't typically have many conversations with the people I've arrested," he said. "You seem to actually want to talk to me. I've never experienced this before."

"And you don't like it aru?"

"I'm not sure what to think of it." Kiku walked out of the door and looked back at Yao.

The Chinese stayed inside the bar. "I'm working," he said. "I hope you have a good day off aru."

Kiku nodded. "Stay out of trouble," he couldn't resist saying again.

Yao smirked. "Come back and see me aru. Maybe I'll stay out of trouble then."

Kiku let the door fall closed and walked briskly to his car, resisting the temptation to walk back inside.

* * *

Yao stared after Kiku for a time before walking back to the bar and settling down on a hard seat. Tuning out the dim of Japanese pop music, he reached for another cigarette but was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"Don't," his sister reprimanded him, speaking in Chinese. "You smoke too much."

Yao shrugged, not looking at her. "It calms me down."

"Who was the man you were talking to? He was wearing a police uniform." Mei's voice had a note of curiosity and worry in it.

Yao glanced back outside. "He was the guy who arrested me," he told her. "His name is Kiku. Kiku Honda."

"Why were you talking to him?" Mei asked. "I would have stayed away from him."

Yao gave her a sad smile. "I don't know, Mei," he said quietly. "I'm confused about it myself."

"Humph," was the only reply. Mei looked away from him and crossed her arms. "You confuse me."

Yao leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "I know," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

"You've said that a lot today."

"Sorry."

"Stop it!"

Yao rolled his eyes at her. "You don't have to stay here, you know. You never visit me at work."

Mei shot a pointed glance at Yao's boss, who was standing across the room. "I wanted to make sure you were okay," she admitted. "You should quit."

"Smoking?"

"Don't be dumb!" Mei hissed. "This dumb job! It got you arrested!"

"I'm getting paid," Yao said a bit coldly. "That's all I can do for you. Like I said, you don't have to stay."

"Maybe while I'm here, you'll behave yourself!" Mei said sharply before sighing. "Please stay out of trouble. Maybe you talking to that Japanese officer was a good thing."

Yao giggled. "Maybe." He cast another glance at the door. "I don't think this is over yet."

* * *

**Well, I hope you liked this chapter. It was a bit longer than the first one. There will be more to come, since I cannot just leave this story, now that I've started it. The chapters will probably be pretty short and I might be a while between updates, considering I have like five other fics I am working on, in addition to being an English major and having to read and write for all of my classes.**

**By the way, I really do not have any idea how the Japanese police system works. If I get something wrong, feel free to correct me in a review or PM. I do love constructive criticism!**


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